Zoar Mennonite Church (Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada)
In 1911 a congregation was organized in the Waldheim, Saskatchewan as a second group along with the Langham group to form the Zoar Mennonite Church. They met in rented facilities. In 1912, they built their own meeting house. In 1917 they joined the Conference of Mennonites in Canada. The meeting house was renovated in 1958. In 1960 there was a division which led to the formation of a new congregation, Grace Mennonite Mission in 1961. Nicholai Toews is considered the founding leader of the group. The congregation originated through immigration from Kansas, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and from the Soviet Union.
In 1925 there were 129 members; in 1950, 231; in 1959, 208; in 1965, 160; in 1975, 188; in 1985, 185; in 1995, 188. The congregation has been affiliated with the Conference of Mennonites of Saskatchewan, the Conference of Mennonites in Canada (1928-) and the General Conference Mennonite Church (1917-). The language of worship is English; the transition from German occurred in the 1950s.
The congregation's address is Box 368, Waldheim, SK, S0K 4R0. (306) 945-2271. The church is located at 301 1st St. S. Pastor Barry Lesser served in 2002 as a congregational leader.
Bibliography
Mennonite Encyclopedia, "Zoar."
Canadian Mennonite (18 November 1960): 9.
Schmide, Edward D. "A Short History of the Zoar Mennonite Congregation at Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada." Research paper, n.d., 30 pp.
"1890-Waldheim." Mennonite Historical Society of Canada collection, Mennonite Archives of Ontario.
Adrian, Dorothy. "Waldheim Zoar Mennonite Church, 1910-1972." Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1973, 71 pp., Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Bartel, Ken. "The Split of the Waldheim Zoar Mennonite Church 1960-1961." Research paper, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1982, 19 pp., Mennonite Heritage Centre.
Additional Information
©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.
To cite this page:
MLA style: Friesen, Bert. "Zoar Mennonite Church (Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. December 2002. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/Z638.html>
APA style: Friesen, Bert. (December 2002). "Zoar Mennonite Church (Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 15 May 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/Z638.html>
